Brazil PROCESS SERVICE

In legal terms, Brazil process service, often known as ‘serving of process,’ is the practice used to notify another party (such as a defendant), court, or administrative body of a first legal action to allow that person to react to the hearing before the court, body, or tribunals. Brazil Process service is notifying the person to be served by delivering a collection of court papers to that person.

The international treaty signed in 1964 and adopted in 1967 under the name ‘Hague Service Convention’ (officially the Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters) comes into play for the process service of documents across borders. For Brazil Process Service, the Hague Convention is invaluable Extrajudicial and judicial papers may be served overseas under the treaty. A major purpose of the Convention was to make it simpler for people to acquire services no matter where they were situated. A thorough understanding of the Constitution of the United States is essential to interpret its provisions correctly. Click here for How the Hague Convention Simplifies International Process Service.

Central authorities are set up in each country to receive service requests from other contracting countries, three model forms for transmitting requests abroad and returning executed ones, and a broad elimination of involvement in domestic and foreign courts as the Convention's primary advancements. Click here for information on How The Central Authority Works in Brazil.

BRAZIL PROCESS SERVERS

The Hague Service Convention was a multilateral convention enacted in Hague, Netherlands, on November 15, 1965, by members of the Hague Conference on Private International Law. This Convention governs the service of civil and commercial issues in Brazil. It operates across the network of signatory countries to provide a reliable and effective method of serving the papers on parties that reside, operate, or are situated outside of the United States.  The agreement covers the service of process in civil and commercial cases but not in criminal cases. Also, if the address of the person to be served is unknown, the Convention does not apply. Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions About Process Servers!

For the purpose of serving the legal process and other papers, Brazil completed its ratification of the Hague Service Convention (HSC) on March 21, 2019, from June 1, 2019. In light of Brazil's explicit objections, many benefits of serving under the HSC will be diminished.

METHOD OF SERVICE

To serve in Brazil, one must apply for a duty waiver or use Brazil's Central Authority (BCA) (Autoridade Central Administrativa Federal). Brazilian courts rarely allow defendants to waive service or litigants to request a waiver at the outset of a case. If the HSC is not accessible, service may be carried out by a plaintiff according to BCA or the Inter-American Convention on Letters Rogatory and Additional Protocol, as appropriate (Inter-American Service Convention or IASC).  Remember that a plaintiff may only utilize the HSC by serving a request on the BCA if an address is known.

If a plaintiff's address is unknown, they will utilize the IASC instead of the HSC. Personal or alternative service outside the HSC or IASC does not count toward the HSC or IASC.

For domestic actions, a method prescribed by Brazilian internal law or requested by the applicant may serve the document, provided that the method does not conflict with the law of the State addressed. For international cases where the Central Authority of the State is not present, an appropriate agency may be used to serve the document, provided that it is not prohibited by the law of the State addressed.

The Hague Service Convention permits the document to be served by delivery to an addressee who freely accepts it. It must be written or translated into one of Brazil’s official languages if the Central Authority services the document.

SERVICE BY MAIL

The United States or Canadian process may be served by mail, if permitted by the forum court, by Letter Rogatory, or through local counsel. It's important to keep the enforcement of a judgment in mind in every case, which is why local counsel in almost everyone should be kept on hand.

Only if the norms of the foreign jurisdiction do not prevent it may a US court enable postal service on a foreign defendant in the first place. Mail service is not explicitly prohibited under Brazilian Rules of Court or authorized. Any future effort to enforce a judgment in that location will almost certainly be dismissed.

A formal request from the forum court for judicial assistance from a Brazilian court is called a Letter Rogatory. This device is expensive and time-consuming, and it's not all it's made up to be. Although it doesn't take the usual letter form, it's a series of request forms since Brazil is a signatory to the Inter-American Convention on Letters Rogatory and Additional Protocol. In addition, the papers involved must be legalized and translated, the judge must approve the request, and it will take the Brazilian courts more than a year to provide evidence of service.

A letter rogatory, also known as a letter of request, is a document in which a court asks for the assistance of another court. A letter rogatory is a typical means of obtaining evidence or serving a summons. To get witness testimony, it is usual for courts to seek the assistance of foreign courts, either by demanding that witnesses answer critical questions or by seeking important documents. There are several ways to subpoena witnesses from outside the United States.

Letters rogatory may be used as a stand-alone measure where no convention or agreement exists to control cross-border judicial assistance. To avoid violating a country's sovereignty, they are court orders for the execution of an act that a foreign court must approve. As a result, their primary responsibility is to carry out the court's instructions or gather evidence as agreed upon by the parties. But if the nations concerned are signatories to the Hague Service or Evidence Conventions or the Inter-American Convention on Letters Rogatory and Additional Protocol, the procedure under the central authority authorized under the treaties or other approved alternatives is quite probable.

SERVICE THROUGH AN ATTORNEY

Brazil Process Service via an attorney is expensive, but not much more so than a Letter Rogatory, and on a more firm legal foundation than mail. A Brazilian attorney may verify that local rules are observed to guarantee that a court will not reject an enforcement action later. This service is assigned to a local judge, and the attorney guarantees it is completed on time. Any attorney may request if the rules of a specific court allow it, as stated in the Convention. The HSC clearly states that private individuals cannot serve a request because they are not ‘judicial officers.’ Still, the declaration of the United States appears to follow a different rule because it allows ‘any other person,’ including a private individual or entity, to be authorized by a court rule.  This means that an attorney not licensed in the jurisdiction where the request is to be submitted might be commissioned to do so by a court.

However, a central authority selected by each HSC member is the main method of document transmission. Each member of the HSC chooses a central authority from which to send papers.

A competent applicant may only submit a request to the central authority of a member with the permission of the receiving member. On receiving a member's request, or as required by law, materials must be served on the applicant (provided that it is not incompatible with the internal law of the receiving member). Submission is likely to expedite the service. The request includes a certificate of service at the conclusion. Articles 8-10 provide for other service methods if the recipient does not object.

In line with Articles 8 and 9, diplomatic and consular agents and licensed process servers may be utilized to serve documents. Articles 8 and 10 may be significant if you want to serve in a foreign nation.

TRANSLATION REQUIREMENTS

Documents must be translated into the official language or one of the official languages of Brazil. Brazil has not declared under Article 5(3) about translation requirements. As long as all documents are not in  Portuguese, the Central Authority will deny any application, no matter how proficient the defendant is in English.

PROCEDURE

The Hague Service Convention made it easier for parties to serve each other in other contracting nations by establishing a streamlined service method. There must be a single point of contact for all service requests in each contracting state. Service may be requested by a court official competent to serve process in the state of origin directly to the state's administrative agency where service is to be performed. Receiving state's central authorities arrange service in a way that is permissible in their respective states, generally via a local court. A Brazil Process Service certificate is sent to the judicial official who requested it after completing the service.

After the BCA receives a request for compliance, the request is normally handled and referred to the Superior Court of Justice (Superior Tribunal de Justiça or STJ). After then, the STJ petitioned a federal court to implement the judgment (of service). Following the execution, whether or not it is a success, the alternative path, including the STJ, is followed. It is the BCA's responsibility to convey to the inquiring or forwarding authority (the applicant) the results of the execution and any other necessary data, including objections.

U.S. Marshall Form USM-272/272A is the form plaintiffs use to seek service in accordance with the Convention. Original and two duplicates of the summons and complaint are all included in the request. Form USM 272/272A must be translated into Portuguese when serving papers in Brazil.

The Inter-American service convention requires a Form to be stamped and seal-signed by a clerk of the court from where the process is issued, as well as the signature and seal of a Central Authority of that state. USM272/272A will be sent to the United States Central Authority after it has been translated and collated by that court, together with all relevant paperwork (the U.S. Department of Justice). Afterward, the request will be sent to the Brazilian Central Authority, the Ministry of Justice, which will notarize and consulate it.

ALTERNATE METHODS OF SERVICE

According to the Hague Convention, papers may be served by postal or diplomatic/consular agents, judicial officers or authorities, or other competent people. Member nations may or may not approve these provisions as a lawful method of serving the papers in their jurisdiction under Articles 8 to 10. Using the Central Agency (Article 5) to deliver papers is mandatory for all member nations. Brazil Process Services the Central Agency provides might take four to twelve months to complete. Litigants who wait six months for a service certificate or delivery from the Central Agency are given a reprieve under this convention. In some circumstances, the Court may conclude that a fair amount of time has passed and therefore provide its decision. Even before the six-month waiting period has expired, the court may impose an interim order or protective measure.

INTERNATIONAL MAIL TRANSFERS

Only in states that have not objected to service by mail under Article 10(a) of the convention and if the jurisdiction where the court matter takes place authorizes it under its relevant legislation may service by mail be performed.

OUR PROCESS

Documents can be faxed at (800)-296-0115, emailed to ps@undisputedlegal.com, mailed to 590 Madison Avenue, 21 Floor, New York, New York 10022, or dropped off at any of our locations. We do require pre-payment and accept all major credit and debit cards. Once payment is processed, your sales receipt is immediately emailed for your records.

Drop-offs must call and make an appointment to be added to building security to permit access to our office. Documents for service must be in a sealed envelope with payment in the form of a money order or attorney check (WE DO NOT ACCEPT CASH) payable to UNDISPUTED LEGAL INC.  Our receptionist receives all documents.

DOMESTIC COVERAGE AREAS:

Alaska | Alabama | Arkansas | Arizona | California | Colorado | Connecticut | District of Columbia | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Iowa | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maryland | Massachusetts | Maine | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | North Carolina | North Dakota | Nebraska | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | Nevada | New York | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Virginia | Vermont | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming

INTERNATIONAL COVERAGE AREAS:

Albania | Andorra | Anguilla | Antigua | Argentina | Armenia | Australia | Austria | Azerbaijan | Bahamas | Barbados | Belarus | Belgium | Belize | Bermuda | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Botswana | Brazil | British Honduras | British Virgin Islands | Bulgaria | Canada | Cayman Islands | Central and Southern Line Islands | Chile|China (Macao) | China People's Republic | Colombia | Costa Rica | Country of Georgia | Croatia | Cyprus | Czech Republic | Denmark | Dominican Republic | Ecuador | Egypt | Estonia | Falkland Islands and Dependences | Fiji | Finland | France | Germany | Gibraltar | Gilbert and Ellice Islands | Greece | Guernsey | Hong Kong | Hungary | Iceland | India | Ireland | Isle of Man | Israel | Italy | Jamaica | Japan | Jersey Channel Islands | Jordan | Kazakhstan | Korea | Kuwait | Latvia | Lithuania | Luxembourg| Malawi | Malaysia | Malta | Mauritius | Mexico| MonacoMontenegro | Montserrat | Morocco | Namibia | Netherlands | New Zealand |Nicaragua | Norway | Pakistan | Panama | Paraguay | Peru | Philippines | Pitcairn |Poland| Portugal | Republic of Moldova | Republic of North Macedonia | Romania |Russian Federation | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | San Marino | Saudi Arabia | Serbia | Seychelles | Singapore| Slovakia | Slovenia | South Africa | Spain | Sri Lanka | St. Helena and Dependencies | St. Lucia | Sweden | Switzerland | Taiwan | Thailand | Tunisia | Turkey | Turks and Caicos Islands| UkraineUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | Uruguay | US Virgin Islands | Uzbekistan | Venezuela | Vietnam

OFFICE LOCATIONS

New York: (212) 203-8001 – 590 Madison Avenue, 21st Floor, New York, New York 10022
Brooklyn: (347) 983-5436 – 300 Cadman Plaza West, 12th Floor, Brooklyn, New York 11201
Queens: (646) 357-3005 – 118-35 Queens Blvd, Suite 400, Forest Hills, New York 11375
Long Island: (516) 208-4577 – 626 RXR Plaza, 6th Floor, Uniondale, New York 11556
Westchester: (914) 414-0877 – 50 Main Street, 10th Floor, White Plains, New York 10606
Connecticut: (203) 489-2940 – 500 West Putnam Avenue, Suite 400, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830
New Jersey: (201) 630-0114 - 101 Hudson Street, 21 Floor, Jersey City, New Jersey 07302
Washington DC: (202) 655-4450 - 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 300, Washington DC 20004

for assistance serving legal papers in BRAZIL

Simply pick up the phone and call Toll Free (800) 774-6922 or click the service you want to purchase. Our dedicated team of professionals is ready to assist you. We can handle all your Brazil process service needs; no job is too small or too large!  Click Here for information on the Code of Civil Procedure in Brazil.

Contact us for more information about our process-serving agency. We are ready to provide service of process to all our clients globally from our offices in New York, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C.

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